The Relationship between Interventional Pain Treatment and Depression and Anxiety Levels in Patients with Chronic Pain Due to Lumbar Spine Pathologies

Purpose: We aimed to investigate the effect of interventional pain treatment on depression and anxiety levels in patients with chronic low back and leg pain due to lumbar spine pathologies. Secondly, we examined the effect of anxiety and depression level before treatment on pain success. Materials and Methods: Eighty-eight patients aged 18-80 years, in whom interventional pain treatment due to chronic pain caused by lumbar spine pathology was planned were included in this prospective observational study. The Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventory, the numeric rating scale (NRS) were applied to the patients before and 6 weeks after injection. The patients were divided into two groups: those with a 50%or more decrease in the NRS scores after injection compared to the pre-injection (successful group)and those with a decrease of less than 50% (unsuccessful group). Results: The patients’ post-injection mean NRS scores (3.28±2.27 (0-10) vs. 7.33±1.25 (5-10), P<0.001), depression scores (9.14±7.06 (0-32) vs. 12.07±9.58 (0-48), P<0.001), and anxiety scores (8.98±8.13 (0-41) vs. 10.87±8.34 (0-33), P=0.018) were significantly lower compared to those before injection. A statistically significant correlation was revealed between the pre- and post-injection changes in the NRS scores and changes in depression and anxiety scores. The decrease in depression and anxiety scores after injection in the successful group was significantly higher. Conclusions: Relieving pain with interventional pain treatment in patients with chronic pain due to lumbar spine pathologies also reduced depression and anxiety symptoms in the patients. Depression and anxiety levels prior to treatment did not affect the success of pain treatment.